DaBolts
2025: The Year of the Vasy
- Feb 3, 2015
- 15,331
- 10,971
Post-Game Talk: 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Finals: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montréal Canadiens
- Thread starter LightningStrikes
- Start date
DaBolts
2025: The Year of the Vasy
- Feb 3, 2015
- 15,331
- 10,971
OurlordAndSaviorKuch
Number one Bull$hit
DrMartinVanNostrand
Kramerica Industries
In most years, generally not, but COVID (even now) and associated border restrictions make things very different. I'm sure plenty of Quebecers are still around.
TheDaysOf 04
[ 2 6 ] [ 4 ]
Wouldn't the restrictions make it harder for them to come here and stay around in the first place? The outbreak started when snowbird season was winding down and peaked when they would've been able to come down this winter.
DaBolts
2025: The Year of the Vasy
- Feb 3, 2015
- 15,331
- 10,971
Vasilevskiy
The cat will be back
CupsOverCash
Registered User
- Jun 16, 2009
- 16,531
- 7,299
Doesn't count they were above the cap!
CupsOverCash
Registered User
- Jun 16, 2009
- 16,531
- 7,299
I do wonder about how good the habs actually are. I know Price has done a great job for them and they have been opportunistic in their chances. I just wonder about a few things. First they got by Toronto fine after Tavares was injured and Toronto is Toronto. I wonder if they still had Tavares would they still have moved on. In the next series Schieffele was suspended pretty much the entire series, would they have moved on if he was there? Then last series it seemed like the Knights were banged up front and seemed like that affected a lot of their offense. I wonder if they had been right would they have moved on?
I know they are excuses for those teams but there is always a little bit of misfortune when a team like they are gets beat by an underdog like the habs. Did they overachieve because of those situations being what they are or are they really legit? I think they're legit but I do wonder how much those situations helped their own situations to get this far.
I know they are excuses for those teams but there is always a little bit of misfortune when a team like they are gets beat by an underdog like the habs. Did they overachieve because of those situations being what they are or are they really legit? I think they're legit but I do wonder how much those situations helped their own situations to get this far.
TeslaCoilFan
Slightly Elite Fan
All sold out by my turn too.
Pre-COVID, STMs could only buy as many playoff ticket seats as they had regular season tickets. And since I have just one ticket and priority, normal post-seasons my seat would be guaranteed. I'd just have to pay per round. So it sucks fetid bilge water. 
OurlordAndSaviorKuch
Number one Bull$hit
We have to do Hockey a favor and beat the Habs, Their fans are already insufferable. How much worse would it be if they won?
DaBolts
2025: The Year of the Vasy
- Feb 3, 2015
- 15,331
- 10,971
Uh, they would become Toronto fans?
Dondini
Registered User
- Apr 28, 2010
- 3,367
- 2,811
toronto won 3 straight after losing tavares
Scheifele played game 1 and analytically it was the Habs best game. No chance they win that series.
Habs are just as banged up as Vegas.
DrMartinVanNostrand
Kramerica Industries
Like, I kinda get it given the circumstances, but I'm seriously amused that the team with 24 Stanley Cups is being viewed as the "good guys" here. Imagine the Yankees ever being seen as the good guys in the World Series, right?
TropicalFruitGirl2
A Peachy Hockey Gal!
I look at it this way:
The Habs' construction (mostly small, skilled, speedy forwards, big, good skating, experienced defensemen, lights out goaltender) was a great recipe for success in the playoffs if ANY team playing them either took them lightly, or had glaring faults of their own.
Toronto is very top heavy, mostly inexperienced in playoff games and didn't seem to have the sandpaper mentality to grind down the Habs once they had them at 3-1.
The Jets, frankly, are a shallow team. Yes, they have good players on their top line, decent defenders in Pionk and Morrissey (though by no means are even those guys anywhere close to elite), and a very good goalie in Hellebucyk.
But losing Sheife completely upset their lineup (guys having to move up a spot, as it were) and exposed their lack of real depth.
The falloff after the players I mentioned is pretty large.... too large to overcome a bruising defense and hot goalie like the Habs gave them.
The Knights, well, they've ALWAYS had issues with scoring in streaks and I think that mostly comes down to not having an elite 1C to slot everyone else better. But honestly, I have NO EXPLANATION for the putrid Vegas PP...that should have been better.
But the Habs impressed me most by beating them, even though it seems they were exploiting the one big thing Vegas was most vulnerable at: consistency.
You called the Habs "opportunistic", and I think that is a perfect description.
Habs, IMO, are about as good as the opportunities the other team presents to them.
And while that may sound like a slight against them, it really isn't. They still have some glaring flaws of their own, BUT, they are offset by the sizeable experience of the players they have, and the knack of taking advantage of any weaknesses the other team shows them.
In other words, if the Bolts play Lightning hockey...fast transition, howitzer shots from the defense, then having that same defense clog up and disrupt Habs forwards, Vasy at his peak, scoring on the PP, and the 3rd and 4th lines hitting everything without being stupid about it.... then the Canadiens have NO CHANCE.
Should the Bolts start off slow, should they not have urgency on the PP, should the defense make boneheaded plays after boneheaded plays, and should the forward ranks not outhustle that big Montreal defense, then the Lightning are gonna be in for a rude awakening.
Lightning control their own destiny here.
They do what they do, they win.
They afford the Habs chances, especially unnecessary ones due to stupid penalties, blatant turnovers, and lack of hustle, Montreal will look LEAGUES better than they have any business being.
That's how I see this series anyways.
Todd1a
Kucherov or prospect
Like 1 k per ticket 3rd deckHave to take out a loan to get in this year.
DistantThunderRep
Registered User
- Mar 8, 2018
- 20,425
- 17,483
I might actually die tomorrow. It's supposed to be 43 degrees Celsius but with the normal Humidity, it'll feel like 50 degrees Celsius. That's like 122 Fahrenheit.
TropicalFruitGirl2
A Peachy Hockey Gal!
DistantThunderRep
Registered User
- Mar 8, 2018
- 20,425
- 17,483
Digging my own grave at night seems like a good idea. At least it'd be cooler in there than outside.Just find a nice meat freezer to hide in for the day.
lots of montreal fans thinks The Habs have no chance to loose this series because the habs are in mission and they want win for Shea Weber similar situation of the Avalanche and Ray Bourque in 2001
Stammertime91
TBL: TEAM OF THE CENTURY
DistantThunderRep
Registered User
- Mar 8, 2018
- 20,425
- 17,483
f***ing Vancouver...this is like a once in a lifetime heatwave.
- Jan 23, 2017
- 20,147
- 28,268
That's it then. The Habs will win it because they want to. While the Lightning are just 'nah, I'm good thanks'.
